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6th Win at MGM Ironman
Barry and Ryder accepting the Heavy Optics Champion plaque from Travis Gibson
Barry Dueck takes his 6th consecutive win at the MGM Ironman held annually in Parma, Idaho.
This match is billed, and commonly accepted as the ‘Toughest 3-Gun Match in the World’. It is most famous (or infamous) for it’s stages which incorporate a 20′ tall slide, 300′ long zipline, unpredictable weather and the dreaded Parma ‘Powder’.
This is one of the FAQ’s found on the competition’s website MGMIronman.com
What are the dummy, tower/slide, and the zipline?
The above items are all challenges that take place during the match.
- The Dummy is approximately 90 lbs and around 4’8″. He must be transported about 25 yards. If he touches the ground, a penalty applies.
- The tower is 20′ tall, on top there is a small platform. You must shoot off the platform with your rifle then go down a long wide slide, with your gun (unloaded). The slide is steep and so far only one broken leg…
- The zip line is about 300 feet long and about 30 feet off the ground at the high point. You go down this while shooting your pistol. If you are afraid of heights, better start getting over it.Videos of all of the above are probably available on You Tube. Just search for the MGM Ironman
Barry reflects on this year’s match
“Travis Gibson and MGM pulled it off again! They worked themselves ragged putting on a match with no equal that required 5 different guns this year. Forget 3-gun, MGM created 5-gun! This year’s Ironman did not disappoint. It was as hard as in the past. Firing well over a thousand rounds at targets from a few yards out to 980 yards. “
Barry continues, “Mark Hanish from team FN, Michael Nitzchke from POF and Kattie Harris from the Army AMU team shot hard and we pushed each other the whole match. Typical of the Iron Man, the high round count and the “Parma powder” dust found its way into everyplace you don’t want it. Competitors fought to keep their gun up while battling the 100 degree heat. It was anyone’s match until the last day, all of us pushing each other. I managed to finish strong on my last two stages and finally pull a tiny bit ahead of these really good shooters and squeak out the win.”
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